Nursery is back and it’s another 6 weeks till the next holidays.

It feels longer as with sickness I have had CC at home for nearly a month and she is ready to go back.

She is bored and I am bored of trying to find stuff for us to do, what did I do before nursery!?

I have liked having her home in all fairness but it’s very obvious how fast she is growing up and obvious how I can’t believe it.

In 8 small weeks she turns four and my son turns one and I have to start organising a party! Groan!

I have not had a party for CC since her 1st Birthday and even then, it was a small group of our grown up friends, just having cake.

On her second birthday, we had a pub lunch which resulted in me and a friend getting so drunk on the fizz that we had to be put to bed. Well it was somebody’s birthday...

Her birthday last year, it was a day before my due date and I was too big and tired to do anything. It was a very quiet birthday tea at her gran’s with promises of a real party next time.

I didn’t realise how serious this Birthday Party marlarky was, and with 8 weeks to go all the good stuff and places are booked and have been for months – who are these organised women?

I wanted an all-inclusive style party so its minimum effort from me but my darling children will think am a party god but it looks like it going to be a half assed baked cake and a group of children ruining my house! FML

CC hasn’t been to many parties but as the children get older, I have noticed the stakes get higher and so does the budget. The local play cafe charges £200 for exclusive use of it for a birthday party and that’s before any of the extras, charging a ten pound “cakeage fee” for bringing a cake (who wouldn’t have a cake?) and then the clean up fee. Screw it!

Dirty chains of soft play, that are a breeding ground for germs or build-a-bear parties that the guests parents hate as they have to fork out big bucks for a bear that will be forgotten about the next day, the truth is the kids bloody love it and that’s what it’s all about - Minimum effort for parents equal big rewards with the kids.

Growing up, we often had our birthdays at a friend’s mum restaurant. The tables were cleared away for us to run around and plenty of party rings to make you sick. That was pretty much that, maybe a mum doing some shitty face painting that made it hard to tell what we actually were. We, as children were just happy to have a party with our friends, a bit of cake and a party bag full of crap.

The birthday party is another way for parents to feel guilty. If we don’t have a large, over the top party, are we telling others that we don’t love our children? Bullshit. It’s the pressure to show other what a wonderful parents we are, look how well I organised this party for little, Timmy. By spending so much more money on our child it shows we love them more than you love yours...I dont actually think anyone thinks like that but we do it none the less...just incase.

Well am off to research party ideas which I won’t follow up and will, most defiantly end up with a half ass party at my house. CC won’t really remember it, will she? After all I don’t remember what I did for my birthday last year let alone when I was 4.